The present invention relates to commercial ice chests for use at camping grounds, boat areas, stores and the like, and more particularly, to a knock-down ice chest which is constructed in a manner such that damaged panels may be replaced quickly and inexpensively.
It is conventional to provide ice chests or cabinets at camping grounds, boat areas and the like where a customer may take pre-packaged or loose ice from the ice chest upon payment of a fee. These commercial ice cabinets are typically large box-like structures having a refrigeration unit and a separate container for holding the ice. The ice is stored in the container in pre-packaged or loose form and is kept frozen by the refrigeration unit.
A problem with known commercial ice chests is that the exterior housing can be easily damaged by, for example, a delivery truck backing into it or by other accidents that commonly occur at the locations where these ice chests are used. Very often the interior refrigeration seal is broken when any one of the exterior panels are damaged, and the ice chest is then no longer usable for its intended purpose. Damage to the ice chest normally means that the entire unit must be replaced, which is a very expensive proposition.
Thus, there has been a need for an improved ice chest assembly which effectively eliminates the need for replacing the entire unit when one or more of the exterior panels become damaged.